‘Big disappointment’: The truth behind America’s shocking loss to Belgium
USA TODAY Sports’ Seth Bartelny breaks down the USMNT’s stunning World Cup loss, what went wrong against Belgium, and why this loss was so disappointing.
sports pulse
It was a tough night for the U.S. Men’s National Team as they were eliminated in the round of 16 from the 2026 World Cup. With the expansion of the tournament, the United States achieved its first knockout win since 2002, but will be eliminated from this tournament in the same round in which they were eliminated in the 2022 tournament.
U.S. manager Mauricio Pochettino was hoping to become the first coach to lead the United States to the quarterfinals since Bruce Arena in 2002, but Belgium lost 4-1, narrowly knocking the Stars and Stripes out of the tournament in their home country.
While there was still some bright spots on Monday, there were some players whose stock prices took a hit. Here are the winners and losers of the elimination game:
Winners Belgium beat USMNT 4-1
Belgium
clearly. The game felt good for the Red Devils, even if coach Rudi Garcia had quieted the buzz before the game about whether Folarin Balogun was eligible after being sent off in the Round of 32.
It’s not just the element of revenge. Belgium were able to build on the momentum they started with a flurry in the second half against Senegal in the round of 32, and they finally started to play as the team they had hoped for after a lackluster group stage.
Malik Tillman
It’s already been a good World Cup for Tillman, and his free-kick goal in the 31st minute seemed to spark a rally for the United States. Instead, the Stars and Stripes quickly conceded.
It’s not Mr. Tillman’s fault. Mr. Tillman also had a good night. Increasing the amount of chance creation will be the next step, but after breaking out at the 2025 Gold Cup, Tillman has exceeded expectations this summer. The 24-year-old should be heavily involved in the next cycle.
seattle
The Pacific Northwest has long been a region where love for soccer is evident in MLS games, but the U.S. national team rarely comes to Seattle or Portland for a variety of reasons.
For the second time this year, the crowd at Lumen Field was a loud, patriotic group, trying to cheer America up and reacting at every key moment. With U.S. Soccer’s shiny new home in the Atlanta area, there may be fewer and fewer opportunities for teams to head to the Pacific Coast, but this summer the region rose to the occasion.
Losers as USMNT lost to Belgium 4-1 in Round of 16
Sergino Dest
Dest, who had fallen asleep on the first goal, was too slow to react to the second goal and never seemed to be fully involved in the game, scoring at half-time.
It was a roller coaster tournament for Dest. He has contributed a lot going forward, but he needs to contribute defensively as well to maintain his presence on the field.
matt freeze
A goalkeeper’s life is judged by his actions in the smallest of moments. The US shot-stopper could do little for most of the tournament. But against Belgium, he was unable to stop his first two shots and then made the inexplicable mistake of coming for a ball he could have claimed but feinting a clearance rather than flicking it away.
This gave Belgium a 3-1 lead and seemed to completely deflate the American team, which was chasing the tying goal and trying to find a way to get back into the game.
Christian Pulisic
This was a great moment for the American star, but as in the group stage, injuries occurred. Pulisic was injured as he tried to take a shot from just outside the box, but his movement was disrupted by a contact with Youri Tielemann’s foot. This led to knee and ankle pain that forced him to leave the game.
The 27-year-old was playing in his home World Cup at the peak of his career. He had an eventful club season, and although he performed well in the first 45 minutes in a pre-tournament friendly and against Paraguay, he was forced off with a calf problem and missed the United States’ second group match.
Pulisic hopes to return in 2030 as the team’s veteran leader, but he knows nothing is guaranteed and of course he won’t be in the best of health.
